US: New York University adopts measures declaring 'Zionists' a protected class
New York University (NYU) has changed its guidelines around hate speech and harassment to include the criticism of Zionism as a discriminatory act.
The new measure places anyone who identifies as a "Zionist" under the category of a protected class, which shields the group from being subject to "discriminatory comments".
Pro-Palestinian groups responded to the news with alarm, saying that the new guidelines effectively equate Zionism with Judaism and will have a chilling effect on the ability of students and faculty to be able to protest against Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
"For many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity. Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH (non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy) if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists," read the new guidelines from NYU, which were released last Thursday.
The NYU chapter of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (NYU FSJP) released a statement on Sunday condemning the move, saying that it sets a dangerous precedent which could also shield other ethnonationalist movements, such as Hindu nationalism and Christian nationalism, from criticism.
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"The new guidance sets a dangerous precedent by extending Title VI protections to anyone who adheres to Zionism, a nationalist political ideology, and troublingly equates criticism of Zionism with discrimination against Jewish people," NYU FSJP said.
At NYU, it's "discrimination" to criticize a genocidal ethnostate. https://t.co/R9ub3A2ZrY
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) August 26, 2024
The updated guidelines from NYU come as the new school semester is set to begin next week. The university was embroiled in pro-Palestinian protests throughout last year, which were calling for an end to the school's investments in companies profiting from Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.
Several American universities have maintained deep ties with Israeli institutions of higher learning and continue to hold investments in weapons companies servicing Israel.
In the case of NYU, the institution has a study abroad programme in Tel Aviv.
NYU responded to the protests by calling in police to forcibly remove a Gaza solidarity encampment that had been set up on campus.
NYU Abu Dhabi also came under fire earlier this year after complaints emerged that the institution was censoring pro-Palestinian speech. Acts of censorship included individuals being taken into custody and interrogated at government security offices, "based on surveillance of their personal associations, private email exchanges and private social media posts".
In March, a group of alumni from NYU released a statement saying it would withhold more than $3m in donations from the university over its suppression of students and faculty organising against the war on Gaza.
"The new NDAH guidance represents an intensification of NYU’s year-long effort to censor criticism and criminalize protest of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza," NYU FSJP said in its latest statement.
In 2020, the university adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which human rights experts say conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
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